Taking Crossroads Farm to the next level

Beautification efforts and a new farm store

Posted

Last year, when Marilyn Cranin of the Nassau Land Trust — the non-profit operator of Crossroads Farm — saw the renovations Joseph DeVito did to his tableware shop, White House Home in Malverne, Cranin knew she had found the perfect person for a specific undertaking. “She got me involved in the farm’s advisory council,” DeVito said. “My focus became beautification and enhancement.”


DeVito contributed some ideas of what the farm could be, and, now, after intense, ongoing fundraising efforts, several projects aim to make Crossroads a beautiful agricultural property with a park-like feel.

These changes include the addition of 28 park benches, a central fountain, flowers lining the farm’s Ocean Avenue border, a 40-foot bark arbor of hanging wisteria, a new patio, a paint job for the farm store and more. “The fountain will have a seated edge, just like the one in Washington Square Park,” DeVito said. “People can purchase something to eat [from] the farm store and sit on these benches and enjoy a peaceful, tranquil moment.”
Concrete checkerboard tables are also planned as part of an effort to make the farm a more social place.

DeVito’s goal is to make the grounds so attractive that people will rent the farm for an event or wedding — and all of that takes money.

“So far I’ve raised $35,000,” DeVito said, adding that he accomplished that in a month’s time. “It’s mostly from private donors and companies, most Malverne-based.” Some residents have given $5,000 donations that enabled the purchase of the fountain and other large expenses. The farm’s park benches are funded by sponsors for $1,500 a piece. “We’ve sold all but 11 of them,” DeVito said.
Another purchase made possible through a large, single, local donation is a certified playground. For the past two years, the farm has had recreation equipment donated by various people, but insurance liabilities forced the staff to give it away. “We’re working with a certified playground company, and they’re donating a large portion of the playground, and we’re paying for the other portion with the resident’s donation,” DeVito explained.

A new farm stand
Changes are also in store for the farm’s retail operation, which seeks to become the “go to” place for nearby farm goods. “We want a real farm stand store here,” said Martha Diaz, the store’s manager, who was hired in March. “People go out East to other farm stores for specific products. We want them to come here for those products.”

To make that possible, Diaz is stocking some of Suffolk County’s more popular farm items, including cheeses from the Catapano Dairy Farm, cider doughnuts from Papa’s Country Porch and berries from Wickham’s Fruit Farm. “We don’t want to buy stuff from out in California,” she said. “I want to support farms that are local here.”

The farm store will also include artisanal breads from Tom Cat Bakery, in Long Island City, and cold-pressed juices from Vermont suppliers.

More school programs
Farm officials say that the facility’s growing educational programs are also helping it gain popularity. “The programs are starting to get into the budget line of many school districts,” DeVito said. “Valley Stream was the first one, and it’s also going into Hewlett, Levittown and other school districts.” The farm currently runs a program in which, for $20 per student, children are brought to the farm in supervised groups several times over a few weeks to learn where food comes from and to use organic farming techniques to plant and harvest. Public and private schools, colleges, home schools, scouts, church groups and individuals have booked educational programs.

“All of this is going to help our merchants in town, our property values — it’s a step in the right direction,” DeVito said. “There’s an enormous amount of traffic that passes through Hempstead and Ocean avenues, and the farm is important because it is the opening to our village.”